Notes on a scorecard: Maybe All-Star breaks aren’t all they are cracked up to be

Teams coming off a five-day start might be a tad rusty. And that was the case Wednesday night when Oklahoma City jumped on the Spurs for 37 points in the first quarter, tying the most points allowed in a first quarter this season.

Despite the lethargic start, the Spurs’ defense and one of their best perimeter shooting efforts of the season rescued them in a 109-105 triumph over the Thunder.

After allowing Oklahoma City to shoot 62.5 percent in the first quarter, the Thunder hit 32.8 percent during the rest of the game. Russell Westbrook blistered them for 6-for-8 shooting in the first quarter, but was held to 3-for-16 during the rest of the game.

And the Spurs erupted for 13 3-pointers — tied for second-most this season as they hit 61.9 percent from beyond the arc. Richard Jefferson and Gary Neal both went 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. George Hill and Matt Bonner both were 2-for-3, including a pivotal three from Bonner that was San Antonio’s last of the game.

It was their second-best effort in 3-point shooting this season, topping only by their 63.2 percent outing Nov. 22 against Orlando.

“I thought that Matt made a huge three down the stretch, but Gary Neal and Richard were fantastic throughout the game,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. “Gary Neal was super because he also assisted for three or four layups in between making shots. He had a great, great run and played a complete game in that regard.

“Most of the perimeter was really helpful. When you are 13-for-21 from three it helps. Matty hit a huge one.”

That run enabled the Spurs to start the second half of the season with a strong comeback victory in a game where they trailed by eight and were behind with 5:17 left.

Here are a few other notes and tidbits from the game.

San Antonio’s victory was their 19th straight home victory. They are officially coming close to the team record of 22, that started on March 27, 1999 and stretched through Dec. 11 of that season. They also pushed their home record to a league-best 26-2, with a good shot at matching the franchise’s record 38-3 set during the 2004-05 season.

The Spurs were dominated on the backboards as Oklahoma City had a 54-37 margin. It was the second straight game where the Spurs were outrebounded by double digits after the loss at Chicago. And it also represented the largest margin for a home game this season.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 20 points. He’s averaging 23 points in his last two games and 18.6 points per game over his last nine games.

The strong perimeter shooting masked how much trouble the Spurs had in converting their 2-point attempts. They hit 24 of 62 from inside the 3-point arc for 38.7 percent.

Tim Duncan had another balanced night with 17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots. It marked his 21st double-double this season. The Spurs are 20-1 when Duncan produces a double-double and 23-1 when he grabs at least 10 rebounds.

Neal scored 19 points off the bench. It was his fourth highest scoring game of the season. And it continued a season-best streak of five consecutive games with double figures. During that period, he has averaged 14.6 points per game, hitting 60.9 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Jefferson’s four 3-pointers — all of his field goals — tied for second among most 3-pointers. His 12 points marks the ninth time in 12 games he’s scored in double figures.

Manu Ginobili struggled through another miserable shooting night as he converted only 2-for-13 and was 1-for-5 behind the arc. It’s continuing a February to forget for Ginobili, who has hit 34.7 percent from the field, 24.4 percent from 3-point range and 12.8 points per game. Despite those struggles, the Spurs are 7-3 in the month. In his previous 47 games, Ginobili hit 44.5 percent from the field, 36.7 percent from 3-point range and 18.8 points per game.

DeJuan Blair’s recent strong efforts slowed down as he notched only four points and three rebounds in 15:09 and did not play in the fourth quarter. After a streak of seven double-doubles in nine games, Blair has averaged 5.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in a little over 17 minutes a game. His 15 minutes against Oklahoma City was his lowest minutes total since Jan. 16.

Bonner produced 12 points and five rebounds, including 2-for-3 from 3-point territory to maintain his NBA lead in the category. He has a good chance to become the first Spur to lead since Steve Smith and Bruce Bowen led the league in back-to-back seasons in 2001-02 and 2002-03.

It was another steady performance for Antonio McDyess, who produced six points, four rebounds and a little muscle in the dust up between Duncan and Kevin Durant late in the first half. His six points was the most since he scored 11 points at Philadelphia on Dec. 11. And his four rebounds marked the 16th time in his last 19 games he’s reached that level.

Hill struggled through a 3-for-8 shooting and scored eight points, continuing a mini-slump that has seen him hit 33.3 percent from the field and average 7.0 points in his last two games.

James Anderson barely saw action, getting one second of playing time at the end of the first half. It was the shortest playing stint of the season for any Spur.

Oklahoma City’s 37 points were the most scored against the Spurs in the first quarter and the second most points the Thunder have scored in the first quarter this season.

The Spurs notched 20 fast break points, marking their 16th time to reach that milestone this season and only the first time in 10 games they have reached that total. Earlier in the season, the Spurs notched 20 or more fast break points in seven of their first 10 games.

The Spurs’ rebounding woes were especially pronounced with four offensive rebounds, including two in the fourth quarter and three in the second half. It tied for second fewest for a game. They are averaging 7.5 offensive rebounds in their last four games.

San Antonio’s eight turnovers was tied for third fewest this season. In their last two games, they have produced seven turnovers against Chicago and eight against the Thunder.